Safety razor



Sept 18, 1951 H. c. ANDERSON 2,568,047

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Sept. 50. 1948 IN VEN TOR. Ya/"0 d C. vgfzdenSO/zPatented Sept. 18, 1951 Stdt? UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE SAFETY RAZORHarold C. Anderson, Chicago, lll.

Application September 30, 1948, Serial No. 52,061

Claims. l

The invention relates to` safety razors.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved safety razor whichincludes a guardroller mounted to travel in advance of the cutting edgeof a razor-blade, which will be rotated by frictional contact with theskin and will move the bristles or urge the skin longitudinally of thevcutting edge of the blade during the normal cutting strokes applied tothe razor. This movement of the bristles by the guard-roller results inthe close cutting or clean shaving desired,

Another object of the invention is to provide a razor with aguard-roller for the movement of the bristles or urging the skinlongitudinally of the cutting edge of the blade during strokes manuallyimparted to the razor, which is simple in construction and eflicient inoperation.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the detail description.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafterdescribed, and more particularly dened by claims at the conclusionhereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an inverted plan of a razor embodying theinvention, a portion of the razor-blade being broken away forillustrative purposes;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail, upon an enlarged scale, of a portion of theguard-roller;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 5 6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a detail of the end of one of the abutments engaging theguard-roller for` eifecting its axial reciprocation.

The invention is exemplified in a safety razor which comprises a headH0, which is usually provided with a cylindrically convex face and adouble-edged razor-blade a Which is secured on the head by a clampingmember I2. A handle I4 is screw-threaded to a stem I6 on the clampingmember I2 for detachably clamping together member I2, blade a, head I0,.and handle I4, as Well understood in the art. Clamping member I2 isusually provided with a rib I8 which extends through a slot in the bladea and into a recess in the head l0 for longitudinally aligning the edgesof the clamping member, the blade, and head, as Well understood in theart. These parts exemplify a holder in which a double-edged razor-bladeis stationarily clamped while shavmg.

A guard-roller generally designated 20 is provided to travel in advanceof each of the cutting edges of the blade of the razor, and its axisextends longitudinally of, and parallel to, said cutting edge. nions 22at its ends, which are rotatable and longitudinally slidable in ears orlugs 24, which are xed to, or integral with, the head I0 outwardly ofthe ends of the blade. Ears or lugs 24 are spaced from the ends of theguard-roller to permit limited axial movement of the roller. Each roller20 is provided on its periphery with a series of annular ribs 26 andintermediate annular grooves 28. These ribs are parallel to one anotherand are substantially V-shaped in crosssection. These ribs, when theroller is pressed against the skin, cause the roller to rotate on itsaxis during cutting strokes of the razor. Each rib 26 extendscircumferentially around the roller and substantially one-half of itscircumference is inclined longitudinally in one direction of the axis ofthe roller or has a pitch angle of substantially from 15 to 30, and theother half 32 of its circumference is oppositely inclined longitudinallyof the axis of the roller or has a reverse pitch angle of the samedegree. Each roller 20, while it is rotating by contact with the skinduring a cutting stroke, is shifted axially or longitudinally of theedge of the blade by an abutment 34 which is xed to, and rigid with, thehead I0 and has a pyramidal terminal 30 which extends into one of theannular grooves 28 adjacent the longitudinal center of the roller 20.The terminal 36 of abutment 34, during rotation of roller 20, issuccessively and alternately engaged by the circumferential sections 30,32 of opposite pitch of the contiguous ribs 26, so that, during therotation of the roller, it will be bodily reciprocated axially andlongitudinally of the cutting edge of the blade. This results in acombined rotary and reciprocatory movement of the roller which causesthe circumferential portions of the ribs to alternately urge the skin orbristles on the skin back and forth along, and in close proximity with,the cutting edge of the blade, While the blade remains xed in theholder. The inclination of the ribs 2B also tends to urge the skin andbristles toward the cutting edge of the blade. The circumferentialportions of the reverse pitch angle and the bodily reciprocation of theroller contribute to these results. The ribs 26 extend continuously fromend-to-end of rollers 20 and the abutments 34 are positioned so theywill not interfere with the action of the ribs along the entire cuttingedges of the blade.

During the strokes of the razor over the areas to be shaved, theguard-roller 2t will contact the Each roller 20 is provided with trun,

skin and bristles slightly in advance of, and along, the cutting edge ofthe blade. The frictional engagement of ribs 26 with the skin will causethe roller to rotate on its axis and relatively to the blade. Eachabutment 3d nts between a pair of contiguous annular ribs 2S and in theintermediate groove 28, and the semi-circular `portions of oppositepitch in these ribs and grooves which engage said abutment will causethe rotating guard-roller to reciprocate axially and longitudinally ofthe cutting edge of the blade. During this rotation and axialreciprocation of the guard-roller, due both to reciprocations and thesemi-circular rib-portions 3S, 32 of opposite pitch angles, the bristlesand the skin will be pressed or urged'back and forth, or alternately inthe opposite directions along and toward the cutting edge of the blade.This action of the annular ribs results in clean and efficient shaving.In practice, it has been found that opposite pitch angles ofsubstantially 15 to 36 in the ribs 26 and the reciprocaticns of theroller will manipulate the skin and bristles adjacent the cutting edgeof the blade to effect exceptionally clean shaving while the bladeremains iixedly held in the holder.

The invention exemplies a safety razor which comprises a guard-rollerwhich is rotatable by contact with the skin during the shaving strokesand is longitudinally reciprocated to move the bristles back and forthadjacent the cutting edge of the blade to more effectively and cleanlycut the bristles. A characteristic of the invention is that this resultis achieved with' the razor blade stationarily held in the holder, andno blademoving load is imposed upon the guard-roller. The longitudinallyslidable guard-roller and the stationary abutment on the head exemplifysimple means for imparting reciprocatory longitudinal movement to theguard-roller during its rotation by frictional contact with the skin.

The invention is not to be understood as limited to the detailsdescribed, since these may be modified. within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A combination with a safety razor comprising a razor blade and aholder in which the blade is stationarily secured; of a guard rollermounted on the holder for rotation and axial reciprocation in advance ofthe cutting edge of the blade and provided with ribs on its peripheryeach having circumferential sections of opposite helical pitch forurging the skin back and forth along said cutting edge during rotationof the roller, and means between the holder and the blade for axiallyreciprocating the roller during rotation of the roller, the helicalpitch of the ribs and their axial movement acting cumulatively in urgingthe skin back and forth along the cutting edge of the blade.

2. A combination with a safety razor comprising a razor blade and aholder in which the blade is stationarily secured; of a guard rollermounted on the holder for rotation and axial reciprocation in advance ofthe cutting edge of the blade and provided with a continuous series ofV-shaped ribs on its periphery each having circumferential sections ofopposite pitch for urging the skin back and forth along said cuttingedge during each revolution of the roller, and means between the holderand the blade for axially reciprocating the roller during rotation ofthe roller, the helical pitch of the ribs and their axial movementacting cumulatively in urging the skin back and forth along the cuttingedge of the blade.

3. A combination with a safety razor comprising a razor blade and aholder in which the blade is stationarily secured; of a guard rollermounted on the holder for rotation and axial reciprocation in advance ofthe cutting edge of the blade, and provided with a continuous series ofribs on its periphery, each having substantially circumferentialsections of opposite pitch for urging the skin back and forth along saidcutting edge during each revolution of the roller, and means between theholder and the lblade for axially reciprocating the roller duringrotation of the roller, the helical pitch of ,the ribs and their axialmovement acting cumulatively in urging the skin back and forth along thecutting edge of the blade.

4. A combination with a safety razor comprising a razor blade and aholder in which the blade is stationarily secured; of a guard rollermounted on the holder for rotation and axial reciprocation in advance ofthe cutting edge of the blade and provided with a continuous series ofV-shaped ribs on its periphery each having circumferential sections ofopposite pitch for urging the skin back and forth along said cuttingedge during each revolution of the roller, and an abutment on the holderextending between a contiguous pair of said ribs for axiallyreciprocating the roller during its rotation, the helical pitch of theribs and their axial movement acting cumulatively in urging the skinback and forth along the cutting edge of the blade.

5. A combination with a safety razor comprising a razor blade and aholder in which the blade is stationarily secured; of a guard rollermounted on the holder for rotation and axial reciprocation in advance ofthe cutting edge of the blade and provided with continuous series ofannular ribs on its periphery each having circumferential sections ofopposite pitch of substantially 15 to 30 for urging the skin back andforth along said cutting edge during each revolution of the roller, andmeans between the holder and the blade for axially reciprocating theroller during rotation of the roller, the helical pitch of the ribs andtheir axial movement acting cumulatively in urging the skin back andforth along the cutting edge of the blade.

HAROLD C. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,833,079 Holtzman Nov. 24, 19312,137,327 Betry Nov. 22, 1938 v2,367,547 Van Slyke A Jan. 16, 1945

